Pride and Memories
by Spielerische Elfe
Summary: This happened after Dino saved Squalo from dying. This is a one-shot story. Some of the storyline has been slightly altered, in order to better portray the relationships and bonds between Squalo and Dino. Sorry that the story title sucks... SD, D18


Water currents hit against every atom part of my body, intruding me, destroying me. I embrace the uncertain darkness. I don't resist, and I won't resist.

It's all about pride. A swordsman does not allow sympathy from his rival. A loser is just a loser, not a beggar. When he kindly gave me a hand, trying to lift me out from the swirling rapid, I refused to accept his grant immediately and firmly. Of course I knew that stupid brat did not mean to humiliate me at all, but he could not understand my pride. All he talked about was merely something like friendship, faith and so on. Still, sympathy does not apply on me.

The bullets of bubbles keep shooting me in the swirls. I cannot see anything in the deep water. Darkness of death is swallowing me. I am not going to resist it. No matter how horrifying it is, I deserve it as a result of losing the battle. Even though I lost my pride in the battle, I won't lose it anymore till the very last flash of my life.

I'm proud of being proud…

* * *

><p>"Squalo! Jeez wake up Squalo!"<p>

_What__'__s __that? __Who__'__s __calling __me?_

The silver-haired swordsman coughed out some mixture of blood and water. His face fainted like a piece of white paper. The bruises and wounds were so obvious on his pale skin, yet most of the blood had been rinsed away in the rapid.

"Squalo! Please wake up! Squalo!" a young, blonde Mafioso shook the dying swordsman, Squalo, worriedly. He got more anxious when Squalo coughed out more blood without opening his eyes.

"Voi, who the hell is… Calling me?" Squalo muttered painfully. The "voi" was millions times weaker than the usual ones, but that was already more than enough for the worried blonde.

"Thank God you're alive!" the blonde hugged the survivor tightly, nearly suffocated him.

"Damn it…" Squalo choked, "It's you, Bucking Branco…?"

Dino loosened his suffocating hug. He grinned at the coughing male in relieve. It was a whole-hearted relief. He had been worried sick.

"Glad that my little back-up trick for that kid worked. It really saved a life!" Dino exclaimed. The measures were made for Yamamoto, in case he was defeated and got thrown into the dangerous water flow where sharks were hunting for food. He felt so lucky that it saved Squalo.

"Quit bugging me, Bucking Branco," Squalo tried to sound firm and tough, "I had never asked you to save me. I was good in my way to hell!" Yelling made him cough even more.

Dino patted the survivor's back softly and ordered one of his subordinates to get a towel for Squalo. He carefully wrapped the soft towel around the wet, trembling body. He knew Squalo very well. It would do no good trying to argue with the always bad-tempered man.

Squalo bit his pale lip hard. What a humiliation! He, a respected swordsman, was saved by his stupid childhood buddy! That hurt his pride.

"Hey Bucking Branco."

"Call me Dino."

"Whatever."

"What's up?"

"You have no other stuff to do? Why the hell have you got such a lot of time to bother me?" Squalo rolled his eyes when trembling in the warm towel.

Dino smiled. It was so rare to be the one who took care of the proud, fierce Squalo. When they were students, Dino was always the one in need. Squalo, on the contrary, was always the one who challenged and bully. But, he did not bully Dino. He did tease poor Dino, but he never hit or kicked him like the sickening big bullies. Sometimes he saved Dino from them with his terrifying violence too.

Seeing the blonde had no intention to answer his question, Squalo gave up. He was not an annoying one, at least he thought. It had been ages since he last stayed beside the blonde. Speaking of staying beside him, years ago, they seemed to be dating more than hanging out. _Shit_, he secretly smiled at the memories.

"Squalo you have to lie down. You're seriously injured." Dino gently ordered the silver-haired.

"You are the home tutor of Vongola's cloud guardian, aren't you?" Squalo did what he ordered and mumbled. He heard the news when some Varia juniors gossiped before.

"Yea you're right." Dino honestly answered.

"What do you think of him?" Squalo had met Hibari Kyoya before, right after Belphegor's battle. Hibari broke into the battlefield suddenly and claimed to be determined to bite them all to death without any fear in his eyes. He was impressive, almost to a point that Squalo hated. Wait, it was not his matter, right?

But since it was related to Dino, he felt a sense of curiosity growing inside.

Dino tilted his blonde head, said, "Err… What should I say? Kyoya is strong, really strong. That kid is certainly gifted and not to be underestimated." He touched his fluffy hair and smiled.

"…"

"It's pretty hard to be Kyoya's home tutor. He is always determined to bite me to death! Hahaha…" Dino laughed when he recalled how Hibari held his Cloud Tonfas towards him.

Squalo did not know how to react. The blonde was so delighted when he talked about the Vongola cloud guardian.

_He likes him?_

Squalo widened his eyes, wondering how Dino felt towards Hibari Kyoya.

"Sounds like you are into the brat, Dino." he interrupted the blonde.

"Huh?" Dino blushed. _What __is __he __talking __about? _Dino slightly stretched his fluffy head and was puzzled by the silver-head's words.

"You are so excited when you mention him, stupid." Squalo roughly commented, "And you call him by his first name."

Indeed. Dino liked talking about Hibari. He liked telling others how powerful the prefect was, how well their training was going, how he was fond of "biting" others… Anything about Hibari could be his favorite topic.

"Maybe." Dino playfully grinned.

Squalo blinked at the grinning male. He could not believe what he just heard. If it was the Dino from years ago, he would blush like a tomato and try his very best to switch the topic. Dino had changed a lot.

"And you know what, Squalo," the blonde lowered his head and gently muttered, "Kyoya somehow reminds me of you."

Squalo stared at his companion in surprise, whom he had not seen for a long time, whom he used to protect against the bullies, whom he sometimes missed after he left with Xanxus. He had wondered if the incapable blonde ever missed him in somewhere else. He also smirked when he was alone and thought of the silly things and failures Dino had experienced.

_So __is __he __interested __in __that __brat __because __of __me?_

He should not care about this anyway. He was in Varia, and fighting against the Vongola family. He could never stay with the one he had been missing like he did in the old days. They were in two rival camps. And even after the battle, he would still follow Xanxus, the only boss he would obey and admire. Memories were useless to him. His pride was no longer found in challenging powerful fighters and being the one Dino needed desperately. His pride was now in Varia, in winning, in killing, in all sort of things relating to battles but not Dino.

After a few more heavy breaths, a sharp pain pierced through all his nerves. Feeling dizzy, he collapsed onto the icy floor. At the very last second, he tried to keep Dino's blurry image in his mind.

"Damn! Romario! Take him to the hospital immediately!"


End file.
